The Lindbergh Foundation, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, will honor three outstanding individuals at the 2007 Lindbergh Award Ceremony on May 16 at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, Minn. Dr. J. Michael Fay, astronaut Eugene Cernan and architect Sarah Susanka will receive awards.

The Lindbergh Foundation presents the honorary Lindbergh Award to individuals who have made significant contributions over many years toward improving quality of life by balancing technological advancements and the preservation of the environment.

“Dr. Fay has devoted his career to conservation,” said Erik Lindbergh, foundation chairman and grandson of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. “His use of technology to collect information about the environment, so people around the world can learn about the importance of sustainability and become inspired to take action, is the kind of lifelong dedication the foundation seeks to honor with our Lindbergh Award.”

In 2004, Fay conducted a “MegaFlyover” of Africa, during which he traveled more than 60,000 miles in a specially designed airplane and captured high-resolution aerial images of the continent, in an effort to change the way Africa and the rest of the world perceive and use natural resources. On a previous mission, Fay walked 2,000 miles from the northeastern corner of the Republic of the Congo to the southwestern coast of Gabon. Using GPS recordings, video footage, still photography and numerical data, Fay documented every wildlife, plant and human presence he encountered. He has spent two years compiling the information he collected into a database that will be made available to conservationists, educators, students and the public.

Spirit Award

Capt. Eugene Cernan, most widely recognized as the last man on the moon, will receive the Lindbergh Foundation’s Spirit Award.

Capt. Eugene Cernan, most widely recognized as the last man on the moon, will receive the Lindbergh Foundation’s Spirit Award. The award, presented in honor of the 80th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s New York-to-Paris flight, recognizes Cernan’s pioneering achievements in his aviation career and a spirit and character representing the best of this nation.

Cernan has had a remarkable career in the United States space program. He flew on three separate space missions and was the second American to walk in space. He’s one of only two men to have flown to the moon twice.

“If anyone personifies the spirit and pioneering character of America’s space program, it’s the last man to have set foot on the moon—Captain Gene Cernan,” said Greg Herrick, event co-chair and Lindbergh Foundation board member. “Captain Cernan is not only an accomplished pilot and astronaut; he’s a dedicated and active proponent of aviation and space travel. I cannot speak highly enough of Gene Cernan; he’s a true gentleman and in every way most deserving of the Lindbergh Foundation’s Spirit Award.”

Acclaimed author and architect Sarah Susanka will receive the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award for outstanding individual achievement, a spirit of initiative and work that exemplifies great dedication toward making positive contributions to the world.

Acclaimed author and architect Sarah Susanka will receive the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award for outstanding individual achievement, a spirit of initiative and work that exemplifies great dedication toward making positive contributions to the world.

Susanka is leading a movement to redefine the American home and lifestyle. Her “build better, not bigger” approach to residential architecture has been embraced across the country and her “Not So Big” philosophy is evolving beyond habitation and into how people inhabit their lives. She’s widely recognized for her “Not So Big House” series of books in which she extols the sustainable ideology of building better, not necessarily bigger homes, leaving a smaller footprint on the planet. Her forthcoming book, “The Not So Big Life,” due out in May, addresses the need to scale down lives and the importance of a balanced life.

Dr. Sally Ride was the first recipient of this award in 2003.

Changing the way the world lives

Nina Archabal, the director of the Minnesota Historical Society, said the organization is especially honored to host the Lindbergh Foundation’s awards dinner this year, on the organization’s 30th anniversary and the 80th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s history-making transatlantic flight.

“With the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny hanging above the History Center rotunda, guests will have an opportunity to see the type of aircraft that Lindbergh flew for his first adventures with flight,” she said. “Like Lindbergh, this year’s award winners have found excitement in adventures that have changed the way the world lives.”

The Lindbergh Foundation is a public, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, based in Anoka, Minn. The foundation strives to encourage and inspire present and future generations to work toward finding ways to improve the quality of all life through three major programs: Lindbergh research grants, the annual honorary Lindbergh Award, and a variety of educational programs.

The Lindbergh Award Ceremony is the foundation’s only public fundraising and outreach event of the year. Proceeds will support the foundation’s mission of improving the quality of life by balancing technological advancements with the care and protection of the environment.

“This event is going to be an outstanding way to honor 30 years of achieving balance around the world,” said Daniel Stoltz, Lindbergh Foundation treasurer and event co-chair, and CFO of Twin City Co-Ops Federal Credit Union.

The event will begin with a reception and silent auction in the rotunda; guests will bid on first-edition books, an autographed Neil Armstrong lithograph and a variety of other unique and collectible items. A sit-down dinner will follow, and then the program, which will include remarks from the award recipients. At a dessert reception after the program, attendees will have an opportunity to visit with the awardees, members of the Lindbergh family and other special guests.

For reservations and information about the event, contact the Lindbergh Foundation office at 763-576-1596, or visit [http://www.lindberghfoundation.org].

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